What do I need to make my kit sound good?

[DrumRookie]

Ok heres the skinny, I have 3 CB 700 toms (Remo Heads), 1 CB 700 Bass Drum (Remo Batter head with hole in it),
CB MX Snare, CB MX Tom, Sound Percussion Tom, "Super" Hi-hats ( does not sound so super to me), Vintage Zildjian 20" Ride (boom stand), CB MX 18" ride (curvy stand) that has a loud bell but sound more like a gong/crash than anything, CB MX I have no idea what on earth you can call it it, sounds like a splash/crash.. Yamaha Professional Hi-Hat Stand, Gibraltar Snare Stand, CB 700 Bass Pedal, And an extra bass drum (CB MX) thats smaller than the CB 700, but I never use because its missing a head and the other side of it is covered in duct tape.
I feel a lot of upgrading needs to be put into this kit, I just need some pointers on that to buy on a very tight budget ( 10 to 15 bucks a week isn't so much!)
I might be getting lessons very soon, but just anything you think would be good to upgrade on this kit!!!!

[fumbled time]

Alot of fixes, so start with the cheapest and build toward the more expense. It seems like a mountain to climb but the view is awesome,lol!

[Northern Redneck]

start with new heads on your kick and snare.

[Larrysperf]

Really some good heads like hydralics work well on that set. Start with heads and you will like the way they sound

[bytor]

Really some good heads like hydraulics work well on that set. Start with heads and you will like the way they sound

i 2ND that. put some good heads on it. little by little. next work on getting good cymbals then hardware. If you upgrade the drums later you will already have good cymbals. If it were me i would spend the money on the kit and lessons later. These days between drum bum and you tube you could keep your self very busy learning the basics. good luck and keep it up. A lot of us started on entry level sets. The set i have now is a middle of the road pearl but i have slowly added good cymbals hardware and heads and they sound great. For me the better they sound the better i play.

[DrumRookie]

Thanks for the tips, I need a lot of opinions on this also:
Ok so theres this guy thats pretty local to me, and he sent me pics and prices of the gear he was selling, all the stuff was new and shiny looking in the pics ( can't upload them for some reason, thanks dial-up!!!) heres the list:

20"zbt ride cymbal-60$
18"zht crash cymbal-60$-barely used
14"zbt hi hats-60$
18"solar crash/ride-30$
boom stand-30$
sound percussion snare drum-25$
ludwig snare. missing botom head and ring but i can replace, as sold-50$
cowbell with mount-40$
soundpercussion bass drum-45$

what do you suggest I buy out of that list, and what price I should work him down too,
because I'm really short on cash (just bought a cowbell yesterday) so if I can scrape up some cash, what should I get?

[Pearl MCX Man]

+ 1 on changind the snare and kick heads first. You can either stick with single ply like Evan G1 or Remo Ambassador or go for the 2 ply G2's or Emperor. Then the next thing to know is what do you prefer coated or clear. As for the bass most use Remo PS3 etc as there are so many out there Evans, Aquarians and Remos. Good luck

[gonefishin]

WOW.......youre not asking for much are ya???......LOL

Just changing the snare and BD heads will take about 2 months to save ther money. I think you need to keep your cool and be patient at 10-15 bucks a week.

I suggest making a few minor changes like those 2 heads and then save the rest of your money up, take some lessons to see if the drums are truely the right instrument for you and if so start looking to trade them in and upgrade to a nice intermediate set.

You should find something used with descent cymbals onn the internet that wouldnt coat you an arm and leg......lessons and patience is what you need the most of right now.

[bloodylipp]

Really some good heads like hydralics work well on that set. Start with heads and you will like the way they sound

i third that. evans hydrulics will make sets that arent high end sound way better and cover their mess ups the best. thats where i would start with all the toms.

[yohin]

I agree that new heads should be your first upgrade. 2-ply would probably be best for you, maybe 2-ply with muffling.

[Russ]

New heads both batter and resonant are an absolute must on a kit like that. I'm going to guess your kit likely has an amount of ring that you would like to control. So in order to do that, I would suggest remo clear pinstripe over a clear emperor for more control, or clear pinstripe over clear ambassador for a little more sustain on toms and kick, and a coated powerstroke 3 or emperor over clear diplomat for snare. Shoot for it little by little, but getting the drums decent heads and good tuning should be priority one. Do not avoid resos, they are half of a drum's sound and have a huge impact on them.

Then you can work on getting cymbals if you like. I would try an affordable cymbal pack, something like paiste pst5's, zildjian zbt, or wuhan traditionals(best deal imo). Cymbals are what I would get second. Little by little, and you'll get there.

[tah821]

^^what he said. not much more i can add on lol.

[atomcorr2]

start with new heads on your kick and snare.

yep ,,,new kick and snare heads ,,then just build from there ... good luck bud ..and have fun.

[Skillful Kai]

If you thought like me... "cowbell with mount - 40$"

But no, seriously, the other guys know what they're talking about!

[gonefishin]

If you thought like me... "cowbell with mount - 40$"

But no, seriously, the other guys know what they're talking about!

Hey......whats wrong with a cowbell?

I love the sound of those things......thats one of those extras that you either love to death or cant stand at all, theres no in between selection.

[ludwigkid]

I think the best thing to make your kit sound good is a good drummer. Hopefully that drummer being you.

[DrumRookie]

do hydrolics sound plasticy? I've never hit one before, so I need an opinion...

[kaosotis]

Hydraulics are very "thuddy" if that helps. If you are worried about plasticky sound (which I think is a bit over hyped) you can get coated pinstripes or EC2s.

Heads first is definitely the way to go.